The NBA All-Star break is on the horizon marking the first break in action on the year. With this pause set to take place this weekend, there is a loaded slate of games taking place tonight as all 30 teams are set to play.
While there are still five games set to take place tomorrow before the full break takes place, buckle up for one of the busiest days of the NBA season.
Headlining the night full of games, Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs will travel up to Boston to face the Celtics with De’Aaron Fox alongside him this time. The Milwaukee Bucks will play the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Phoneix Suns will face the Houston Rockets, and the Los Angeles Lakers will square off against the Utah Jazz for the second straight matchup. Luka Doncic ishas been upgraded to probable with his calf injury, which should make this his second game in a Lakers jersey following a solid debut. The final matchup of the night will take place between the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers, tipping off at 10:30 p.m. ET.
There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in the action this evening. One of the more unique features on DraftKings this year is Pick6 Fantasy Basketball!
This article will look at my top Pick6 plays for Feb. 12. We simply choose whether a player will record more or less of the set statistic. With a jam-packed slate of games, here are my six favorite plays for Wednesday night’s action.
Goga Bitadze More Than 13.5 Points & Rebounds
Tipping off as one of the opening three games at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Orlando Magic will host the Charlotte Hornets. Orlando has been on a losing skid, dropping 13 of its last 17 games, but has a great chance to get back on track against the 13-38 Hornets tonight.
One area that is particularly advantageous for the Magic will be in the interior. Charlotte got much weaker ahead of the trade deadline by trading away Nick Richards to the Phoenix Suns and attempting the send Mark Williams to the Lakers. Williams remains sidelined as the Hornets sort through the medical concerns that rescinded the trade, which paves a clear path for Goga Bitadze to assert himself.
Bitadze is having a career-best year averaging 8.8 points and 8.0 rebounds across his 23.8 minutes of play. He is connecting on 65.4% of his shots from the field, which ranks in the 97th percentile among players, and he will have a clear path on the interior without a shot-blocking presence to prevent him. Moussa Diabate is expected to be the primary matchup for Bitadze, but the 23-year-old is still raw and in the early stages of his development. Bitadze is coming off a bit of a rough stretch but has recorded more than 13.5 combined points and rebounds in 26 of the 44 games he has played this season. The Magic will have the advantage on the interior and expect Bitadze to lead the charge putting his fingerprints all over this matchup. Count on the Magic big man to have success on the boards and generate putbacks as he paves his way to more than 13.5 combined points and rebounds tonight.
Isaiah Collier More Than 19.5 Points & Assists
The recent breakout from Isaiah Collier is a significant storyline surrounding this Utah Jazz team. The rookie guard is flashing some impressive playmaking chops beyond what he showed in his lone season at USC. He is paving the path for him to be their point guard of the future. Collier has provided an impressive start since being injected into the starting lineup helping the offense to look like a much more cohesive unit in recent weeks.
Across his 19 games as a starter, Collier is logging 31.0 minutes per game and producing 10.8 points and 8.5 assists. During the previous matchup against the Lakers, he finished with 13 points and 10 assists even while the game became a significant blowout. This year’s 29th overall pick also has recorded more than 19.5 combined points and assists in four of his past five games.
Luka Doncic has been upgraded to probable and there is certainly the potential for this game to become a blowout. However, Collier falls in the sweet spot of still seeing guaranteed minutes whether the game is out of reach or remains competitive. Look for him to continue to prove his importance to this Jazz team in the short term and prove why he can be a foundational part of this rebuild. Count on Collier to record more than 19.5 combined points and assists for the second straight game and fifth time in the past six games in the rematch against the Lakers tonight.
Tyrese Maxey Less Than 29.5 Points
The Philadelphia 76ers have been unable to turn around their disappointing season so far. They enter tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets following a concerning loss to the Toronto Raptors last night. This also marks their fourth straight loss with Philadelphia only having won one of their past seven games. While Tyrese Maxey has largely been a bright spot in a frustrating year, he is coming off what may be his worst game in the NBA last night. Maxey was held to just five points on 1-for-9 shooting from the floor against this Raptors team. This marks the first time he has been held to five or fewer points since April 4th, 2023 and this has only happened four total times across the past four seasons.
Overall, Maxey is averaging 27.6 points per game this season and has been held to less than 29.5 points in 26 of the 46 games he has played this year. While the Nets hold a record of just 19-34 this season, they are a young, hungry team in which points will not be easy to come by. Even with the struggles in the win/loss column, Brooklyn ranks eighth in opponents’ points per game and allows the fourth-fewest three-point attempts to opponents.
Even more concerning, Nick Nurse discussed postgame how he believes Maxey is battling some sort of physical ailment last night. The former All-Star guard was quick to brush away any sort of excuse for his performance, but his 1-for-9 shooting performance marked the first time all season he has attempted fewer than 12 shots in a game. With tired legs, a hungry opponent, and Maxey potentially battling an injury- don’t expect a strong offensive output tonight. Joel Embiid has also been ruled out for this second night of the back-to-back. While this frees up more shot opportunities, it also puts Maxey at the top of the defensive priority list. This will be the third matchup between these two teams with Maxey being held to 18 and 26 points in the first two games. Expect Brooklyn to be focused on slowing down Maxey and for the Sixers’ guard to ultimately be held to less than 29.5 points again tonight.
Cade Cunningham More Than 16.5 Assists & Rebounds
The Detroit Pistons will square off the Chicago Bulls after arguably the most dominant win of the season last night. They built up a franchise-record 42-point lead at halftime last night holding the Bulls to just 29 total points at the break. Detroit ultimately cruised to a 132-92 victory in which Cade Cunningham finished with 20 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in just 27 minutes of play.
It is a difficult task for Chicago to pick themselves up off the mat and produce a better performance against the same team. But with the bar of expectations essentially on the floor, expect a better performance from Chicago tonight that requires Cunningham to play his usual workload. On the season he is averaging 25.3 points, 9.4 assists, and 6.4 rebounds per game. He has recorded more than 16.5 combined assists and rebounds in 18 games including three of his past five.
Chicago struggles across the board defensively ranking 29th in opponents’ points per game, 29th in assists, per game, and 29th in opponents’ rebounds per game. Cunningham and the Pistons have faced the Bulls three times already this season and he is averaging 22.7 points, 10.7 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in these matchups. He recorded more than 16.5 combined assists in rebounds in two of these three games, with the exception being last night with his minutes limited. Expect Cunningham to produce a bit more in the second matchup and play his way to more than 16.5 combined assists and rebounds against the Bulls tonight.
Victor Wembanyama More Than 2.5 Made Three-Pointers
One of the more intriguing matchups on tonight’s slate will be between the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs. Victor Wembanyama and company will travel to Boston for the first matchup against the defending champions this year. San Antonio received a midseason spark following the addition of De’Aaron Fox and will be viewed more seriously as contenders moving forward. This will be an interesting measuring stick matchup as San Antonio attempts to scrap their way up the Western Conference.
One area where an adjustment will need to be made for San Antonio is in their perimeter attack. Boston is on pace to break the NBA record for three-point volume throughout a season by attempting 48.2 three-point attempts per game. For reference, the Chicago Bulls rank second in the league in this category with 43.0 long-range shots per game while the Spurs are sixth with 39.5 three-pointers per matchup.
Trading two points for three is a losing formula, so expect a focused effort from the Spurs to match Boston’s level of output. Victor Wembanyama will play a huge role in this as he leads the team in three-point attempts with 8.8 launched per game. The Frenchman is connecting on 35.5% of these three-point opportunities which comes out to an average of 3.1 made three-pointers per game. He has recorded more than 2.5 made three-pointers in 24 of the 45 games he has played this season. This includes shooting 5-for-8 from beyond the three-point arc in his most recent game on Monday against the Wizards. With Boston set to lead the charge with their three-point production, expect Wembanyama to be ready to match it and connect with more than 2.5 three-pointers tonight.
Nikola Jokic More Than 20.5 Assists & Rebounds
The Denver Nuggets will host the Portland Trail Blazers tonight who are amid a mid-season turnaround. This also is the second straight matchup between these two opponents. Portland has won 10 of their last 13 games playing much better basketball across the board. However, Denver got the better of them on Monday with a convincing 146-117 victory. Nikola Jokic finished the matchup with 40 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds.
While Jokic is capable of taking over a game from just about every area, expect a more impactful rebounding and playmaking performance tonight. On the season the three-time MVP is averaging 29.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 10.3 assists. He has recorded more than 20.5 combined assists and rebounds in 32 of the 48 games he has played.
Jokic played just 31 minutes in Monday’s victory over this Trail Blazers team and was held to 15 combined assists and rebounds. He operated with a score-first mindset in a way that is not always the case. Expect the six-time All-Star to return to his preferred style and be more active on the boards and as a playmaker tonight. Portland ranks 22nd in total team rebounds and 14th in opponent rebounds allowed. Look for a more assertive rebounding performance compared to Monday and for Portland to search for new strategies to defend him. Count on a more well-rounded statistical output against the youthful Trail Blazers tonight and for Jokic to log more than 20.5 combined assists and rebounds.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of at least two players and select whether you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
How to Play DraftKings Pick6
Create a Pick Set
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you cannot pick the same player twice and you must select players from at least two different teams.
Enter an Amount
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
Sweat Your Picks
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
Compete for Prizes
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
